New veterinary compounding rules effective Feb. 22

The OVMA has been working for several months to share veterinary profession perspectives with the Ohio Board of Pharmacy on a variety of proposed administrative rules. Two of these new rules provide greater latitude to exercise your medical judgment and serve clients as they pertain to the access and use of non-patient specific compound drugs. Both rules become effective on Feb. 22, 2016, and will:

Ohio Administrative Code 4729-16-08 reverses a prohibition on out-of-state veterinary compound pharmacies providing non-patient-specific medications to a veterinarian. For approximately the last eight months, only Ohio compound pharmacies could provide non-patient -specific medications to Ohio veterinarians. The change re-opens options for Ohio veterinarians to obtain these compound medications from either in-state or out-of-state compounders.

Ohio Administrative Code 4729-16-12 (“Animal Compounded Drugs”) will allow for a veterinary office to obtain and maintain in stock a “limited quantity” of non-patient specific compound medications which are needed to treat urgent situations, unanticipated procedures or treatments, or for diagnostic purposes. The veterinarian can administer the medication and/or dispense no more than a seven-day supply. For circumstances needing more than seven days, you would submit a patient-specific prescription to the compound pharmacy to complete treatment.